Page 65 of The Weekend Crashers
“Oh, I’m not afraid,” she says.
“Really? Because I heard you on the phone a minute ago.”
He heard her stressing out about the wild animals? She closes her eyes for a second to process her mortification. “Sorry if I disturbed you. I was just talking to Piper. I’m a bit of a night owl.”
“A night owl,” he says.
“Yes.”
“It sounded to me more like you’re concerned about night owls. And other woodland creatures.” He smiles to show he’s not being unkind.
“You have remarkably good hearing.”
“Not really. It’s pretty quiet out here. And... my tent is only a few feet away.”
“Right,” she says. “Sorry about that.”
She’s aware of how she’s dressed: sweatpants and two pairs of fuzzy socks and her pilled turtleneck over a flannel button-down. As much as she’d like to think it’s campout chic, she knows it’s moreLittle House on the Prairie.
“Do you want me to escort you back to the inn?” he says. “I don’t want to torture you.”
The offer is tempting. Except she’s not a damsel in distress. She’s a strong, competent, independent woman. Isn’t that what she told him the first night they met? The campout isn’t part of the bushcraft challenge, but there’s no question that leaving would be a defeat.
And really, she doesn’t actually want to leave. Standing there with Aidan, under the stars in the dark of night, she feels like anything could happen. And she likes it. It’s been a long time since she had that sensation—utter freedom but also being without a net. It’s like being twenty years old again.
“No, I’m fine. But I wish Piper had come along.”
“I get it,” he says with a sigh of empathy. “We both got dumped by our kids tonight.”
They look at one another. The silence becomes heavy. Excruciating.
“Do you want to come in?” she says.
“To help fend off the wild beasts?” he says. “Sure. What kind of bushcrafter would I be if I didn’t?”
“Is wild-beast fending on your itinerary?”
“That’s how we traditionally close out these weekends.”
They duck inside her tent and Aidan shines his phone so she can locate the small camping lantern next to her sleeping bag and turn it on.
“I feel better with that light on,” she says. “I’m going to sleep with it.”
“At this point, I’m surprised you actually agreed to do this,” Aidan says.
“Me too. But that’s how much I want Piper to have a great weekend. I can’t say no to her.” That doesn’t explain why she’s still out there. Alone in the tent with him. And they both know it. Sitting there on the ground, facing him a few feet apart in the glow of the lantern, the attraction is so obvious it’s embarrassing. In the distance, she again hears the animal howl. But she’s no longer afraid.
Aidan leans forward and kisses her.
Sunday
New Hope Knitting Retreat: Day 3
Course Offerings:Fair Isle Hap; Stranded Knitting and Mosaic; Seaming and Blocking; Tapestry Crochet.
4 p.m.Crafting and Tea Time in The Purl
7 p.m. Evening Activity:Closing Dinner Stitch & Share at Bucks Tavern
